Driving mechanism for recording apparatus



E. J. ALBERT Oct. 27, 1931.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RECORDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 20 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Get. 27, 1931 UNlTED' STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD J. ALBERT, F PHILADELPHLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'IHWIN G IN- STRUMENT COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RECORDING APPARATUS Application filed. November 20, 1926. Serial No. 149,783.

My invention relates to driving mechanism for recording apparatus, and it has for one object the provision of means whereby the tendency for the material to creep on a recording roll may be substantially overcome.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction, wherein the supply and rewinding rolls are operated by power from the recording roll transmitted by the material to be marked. One advantageous result of thus causing the material to serve as a linkage between the several rolls is the elimination of a second driving shaft heretofore considered essential and the consequent simplicity in the supporting structure as a whole.

My invention further consists in the details of construction and operation and arrangement, hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are side, front and top plan views, respectively, of a structure embodying my invention Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, side elevational view of the supply and rewinding rolls; and

Fig. 5 is a detail, vertical, enlarged sectional view of the rewinding roll, the sectional plane being taken on the line VV of Fi 4.

The apparatus shown in the drawings comprises broadly a supply roll 1, having a desired material 2, say paper, that extends therefrom upwardly around a recording roll 3 and then downwardly to a rewinding or take-up roll 4, the paper 2 being held against the recording roll 3 by pressure applied on a central element only by means of a friction ribbon contact roll 5. The several rolls may be supported by means of a structure 6.

Considering the supply roll 1 in greater detail, an inner tube 7 thereof is supported on conical end plugs 8 and 9 which are respectively provided with end flanges 11 and 12 positioned to abut against the adjacent ends of the tube 7. The end plugs 8 and 9 are respectively mounted on end portions 13 and 1.4 of a shaf 15, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 2. The flanges 11 and 12 may be rigidly clamped in. abutting relation to the ends of the inner tube 7 by means of a nut 16 which engages a threaded portion 17 of the shaft adjacent to the end portion 14.

The shaft end portions 13 and 14 terminate in bearing portions 18 and 19 which respectively engage apertures 21, 21 formed in an upper end 22 of a pair of bracket members 23 and 24. The bracket members 23 and 24 are respectively secured to inner sides 25 and 26 of a pair of upright side plates 27 and 28 of the main supporting structure 6. The apertures 21 may be provided with angled entrance slots 29 permitting the insertion or removal of the bearing portions 18 and 19 and, consequently, the supply roll 1 as a whole, from a front side 31 of the supporting structure 6.

As shown in Fig. 5, the rewinding roll 4 comprises a supporting tube 32, opposite ends of which are supported on members 33 mounted on a shaft 34. The opposite ends of the shaft 34 respectively extend into apertures 35, 35 positioned at a lower end 36 0f the brackets 23 and 24, as in the case of the shaft 15. The apertures 35 are provided with angled access slots 37 so that the rewinding roll 4 may be removed from the front side 31 of the structure 6 as in the case of the supply roll 1.

One end of the end members 33 is provided with a hub portion 38 constituting a support for a loosely mounted sleeve 39. A lower gear-wheel 41 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 39 and meshes with an upper gear-wheel 42 mounted on the end plug 8 of the supply roll 1. The sleeve 39 is provided with a groove 43, Fig. 5, whereby an intermediate portion 44 of a wire 45 may engage a circular recess in the hub portion 38. The ends of the wire 45 are clamped by screws 46 on the lower gear-wheel 41 in such manner that the intermediate portion 44 is forced into resilient frictional engagement with the hub 38. The engagement is such that slippage occurs when the force exerted by the lower gear-wheel 41 on the rewinding roll 4 exceeds a predetermined value. Such increase in force results from the fact that the diameters of the supply and rewinding rolls 1 and 4 are constantly changing, the former decreasing and the latter increasing.

' supporting frame 6. The shaft endportion 47 may be connected by reductlon gearing 50 to a clocklor other sourceof. power"5 l,..

. recording roll 3. suit, for example, from the fact thatthe dia- 7 meter of the roll 3varies for'diflerent ele-- ments along the 'lengththereof. The ten dency for the paper to creep on the roll Zfis overcome in my invention by the provision The recordin or printing roll 3 provides a support for t e paper Q passing over the same, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and it may be mounted on a shaft 47, end portions 4 8 .and 4 9"of which are-respectively journaled in the side members 27 and 28 of the whereby the recording roll 3 may be positively driven.

Heretofore, various methods; involving pins and the like havebeen employed to prevent aXial displacement of the paper 2jonithe Such displacement may reof the friction driven pressure roll 5 which so formed as to have a substantially point contact with one element-only of the roll .3. Such'contact may be'afi'orde'd by oppositely beveling side portions 52 and 5150f the roll 5, so that a meeting edge 54 of these portions represents a single element, the plane of whiohis common with that-of asing'leelement of the recording roll 3.

Suflicient pressure ma-yibe established between the edge 54 of the roll 5 and 'thep'orelement is-ofconstant diameter-. The roll5 is preferably positioned sogthat the element thereof representedby the edge '54 engages a substantially 'centralelement of the roll-3, inasmuchas suchztransverse-or V axial .expansion'of the-paper 2 as' occurs is equally divided on" both sides of thecenter.

Hence,the maximum error caused bychange 111 Width with varying humidity is only onehalf'esgreat as 'would occur if -the:-paper were rigidly held at one end. It is also noted that thecenter o'f 'the-paper 2 ismost-frequentlyused' Assuming-a recording pen' 59 inoperative relation tothe portion of the paper'Qpassing "over theroll 3 and the latter driven bythe sure between'zthe rolls] recording roll 3, a movement of the paper 2 occurs in the direction indicated by the arrows of Fig. 1. The continued movement of the paper 2 causes the unwinding of the sup ly roll land the'rewinding' of the paper 2 a ter it has passed over the recording roll S -by-the roll 4. As'above noted, the power necessary .tooperate the supply and rewinding. rolls land 4, respectively, .is transmitted from the recording rollj3thriough the paper 2 Which forms a linkage therebetween. Hence,-onedriving= shaft only is required instead of two as has heretofore been the prac- -ti:ce.- -When it; :is necessary to replace either of the rolls 1 or 4, it is necessary only to lift the sameforwardly and upwardlytoward the front side31 of-the supporting structure 6.

Vhillhave shown only one'form 'of'embodimentof myinvention, for the purpose of describingv thesameandillustrating-its principles "of construction and operation, it is apparent 'that'variousfchanges and modific'a- 'tionsmay' be made therein, without" departing from: the spirit or my invention, and I desireytherefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed thereon as are indicated in the appendedfclaim or "as are demanded by "theprior art:

.' Iii a recording-instrument,incombination, pair of co=acting rolls having" adesired material interposed therebetween, at least one ofsaid rolls/b'eingso formed as to have substantial-lya point contact with one ele ment of. the other roll'to prevent displacement of the nterposed materialaxially of the "roll, and a -spr1ng wire for supporting one I of said rollsto establish the necessary pres- WARDGJ; ALBERT! clock "51, the edge 5d of the' pressure roll i cording roll 3"with' a' pressure thatyis applied on substantiallyone elementonly of said roll 5 is held in resilient friotional engagement 1' with the paper 21by the spring wire-55,' caus ngthe paper 2. to' be forcedagainstthere 3. As a result of'the frictional engagement thus estahli'shed between the paper-Qarid the 

